** As seen in the August edition of Gahanna Life Magazine. See all of my contributions on the Gahanna Life tab at the top of the blog. Have an idea for me to write about?... Email me! **
Hi! I’m Scott. Your Realtor Psychologist
Mindset is the first key to a successful real estate transaction
Mr. & Mrs. Seller,
I came over yesterday (
at
your request) to offer you factual information (
sorry for not factoring in your 20 years of happiness, your memories,
or your love for the original light fixtures) in regards to the
housing market here in Gahanna.
I’d be happy to list your home for sale, but if we are going
to list at that price, I’m going to need you to add on another bathroom, 300
square feet of living space, and you need to put wood floors throughout the
first floor.
Take care,
Scott
Morrison
___________________________________________________
I sure wouldn’t win over many clients, let alone get many
referrals, if this was an actual letter that I wrote following listing
appointments. If I left the
listing appointment with the frame of mind that comes across above, I didn’t do
my job correctly.
My goal when I meet with a potential client is to leave them
better than I found them. In the
fictional case of Mr. & Mrs. Seller from above, I would consider it a win
if I left them with the understanding that they need to take the emotion out of
the transaction in order to gain a clear perspective on their situation.
In today’s market, my most important job is to help the
potential client set their mindset before we begin discussing the
value of their home or a potential set of homes they may purchase.
Without proper perspective, I am doing
my clients a disservice and ultimately am leaving them with a bad taste in
their mouth, just as I would have with the letter above.
So, before I meet with you to discuss buying or selling,
please consider the tips below so that you are prepared to face challenges of
today’s market.
Sellers:
-
Take the emotion out:
This is the most difficult part of the
process.
You have to view selling
a home like you do a bank statement.
Selling a home is like math class, not art class…the most important part
of the process to you is the bottom line dollar amount with which you will walk
away from the transaction.
- View your home through the buyer’s eye: You can overlook some parts of your
home that may not be up to par, but a buyer is coming in looking to disqualify
your house. Have your Realtor offer
some suggestions, but also fix your house up for a “showing” and tour it
yourself from a buying perspective.
- Prepare for the “condo generation”: Regardless of whether or not a buyer
has lived in a condo, most buyers are looking for a condo-like situation. In other words, they don’t want to see
things that they have to attend to right away. Buyers are fearful of potential repairs, want updated
features, and aren’t going to place the same value on something that you’ve
“loved this way.”
“Maintenance-free” is not available, but looking “maintenance-free” is a
must!
Buyers:
- Buy like an investor: I’m not asking you to be ready to flip
a house like you’ve seen on HGTV. Be ready to look past a few aesthetic aspects and a few cosmetic
touch-ups to find the best deal.
Investors are all about “value.”
Be prepared to find a home that is move-in ready, but don’t require it
to be perfect. A chance to add
some “value” is something that could pay off in the long run.
- Know what you are looking for: Homes are moving in this market so
quickly that you don’t have time to look at a home, go look at 10 more, and
then come back and make a decision on the first one. Take time to develop the criteria that you are looking for,
and then your search can be more focused.
If you just say you want four bedrooms, you’ll be searching through a
pool of hundreds of homes. With
the help of your Realtor, define things such as location, beds, baths,
basement, garage, amenities, and so on.
This will allow your Realtor to find those homes for you as soon as they
hit the market… if you don’t see them quickly, the good ones will be gone.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Take care,
Scott
Morrison
Text- 614-383-8502
G: 9/11 vs Dublin Coffman
